Former Peoples Democratic Party national chairman, Senator Ahmed Makarfi on Tuesday, appealed to Ukelle and Igbeagu communities in Ebonyi and Cross River States currently in conflict to resist the temptation of picking up arms against each other.
Makarfi, in a statement signed by his media aide, Malam Mukhtar Sirajo, urged the two neighbours currently engaged in violent clashes to resolve their differences through dialogue.
According to Makarfi, the resort to violence by people over disagreements is worrisome.
The former governor of Kaduna State noted that the violence erupted barely 24 hours after he spoke out against the needless bloodletting in Plateau.
He said: “The relationship built over time should have been used as a vehicle for coming together to look at the problem that snowballed into needless loss of lives and property.
“The people of Ukelle and Igbeagu and indeed all Nigerians should always resist the temptation of picking up arms against each other at the slightest provocation.
“Re-imbibe the well-known civilized culture of sitting down to discuss issues and peacefully resolve problems in mature manner.”
Makarfi, who recently declared intention to contest for the Presidency in the 2019 general elections, said there was no problem that was beyond resolving through dialogue.
He called on the relevant authorities to restructure the security architecture of the country to make it more proactive in terms intelligence gathering and other operational necessities.
Makarfi condoled with the people of the two affected communities and the governments and people of Cross River and Ebonyi states over the incident.
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